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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22757740">Best Part of Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/storm_dog_pirate/pseuds/storm_dog_pirate'>storm_dog_pirate</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Nikolai Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Wedding Jitters, a soft moment of the two behind the doors, i haven't written for a while, so have this</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 11:22:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,881</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22757740</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/storm_dog_pirate/pseuds/storm_dog_pirate</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nikolai was having trouble sleeping over something big happening the next day, so was a certain general.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nikolai Lantsov/Zoya Nazyalensky</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Best Part of Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspired by the song Best Part of Me by Ed Sheeran ft. YEBBA. Happy reading! uwu</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nikolai was utterly restless.</p>
<p>            He knew for sure that he was when he finally threw off the covers from his bed and glanced at the grandfather clock at the other end of his chambers. It had already been a few hours since he went to bed and tried to get some decent sleep.</p>
<p>            Because tomorrow would be the most important event that would be happening in the country.</p>
<p>            Because tomorrow—<em>tomorrow</em>—Nikolai Lantsov would finally get married.</p>
<p>            But as much as he was looking forward for the next day, he could not shake off the nervousness that was starting to cloud the logical part of his reasoning. Nikolai once thought that wedding jitters were silly—that anyone who would be married to the one they had dreamed of should not feel it.</p>
<p>            Now that it was here, almost seizing control of him and forcing his legs to move out from his quarters, Nikolai knew better than to think of it as foolish.</p>
<p>            The young king started to wander aimlessly through the hallways of the Grand Palace in just his thin undershirt and loose pants, and yet his feet somehow had its own destination when the path narrowed down to a familiar turn, towards a certain room that he had been visiting quite often ever since his proposal two months ago.</p>
<p>            Nikolai stopped in front of her door, the thought of being here now somehow sending the beat of his heart into a more erratic mess. He raised his hand to knock, but stopped midway when a wave of hesitation hit him hard in the gut.</p>
<p>            What was he doing here? Maybe she was already asleep. And if so, Nikolai was relieved. While he was endlessly plagued with thoughts that were mainly triggered by his nervousness, he could only hope that she was in peace tonight.</p>
<p>            He huffed a laugh and shook his head, setting his palm gently on the surface of the door instead, somehow feeling a part of his restlessness ebb away. It was galling to admit aloud that the thought of her could already calm the thoughts that were bothering him to oblivion.</p>
<p>            She really was his pillar for everything, and he was appalled that he had not realized what these strong emotions meant sooner. They could have saved more time and energy from dancing around each other for years.</p>
<p>            With a small smile over his thoughts, Nikolai withdrew his hand and started to turn away.</p>
<p>            Only to freeze his movements when he heard a rushed click on the door and it swung open, revealing his general clad in a coat over her nightgown, and his mind just stopped working altogether.</p>
<p>            Apparently, Zoya had the same bewildered expression as his, as if she, too, were caught in the act of doing something terrible. The dark circles under her eyes proof of the same restlessness he had been going through.</p>
<p>            Nikolai was the first one to recover and he cleared his throat, a wince coming up to his face on how awkward it sounded when he did. “Having trouble sleeping?”</p>
<p>            The raven-haired gave a huff. “Don’t I always?” she replied, tiredness obvious in her voice. She studied him for a moment, her features softening for a bit—which was a rare sight to see. “Well, you could use a week’s worth of sleep. What are you doing up?”</p>
<p>            “I just came to see you,” Nikolai blurted before he could even stop himself. His nervousness was taking over him. But there was no point of denying it, anyway.</p>
<p>            He was given a raised brow, and then a light laugh before Zoya was opening her door a little wider, a gesture for him to come in. “I guess I’d have to postpone my plan to walk around the gardens to breathe for a while, then?” she said, moving away from the door just as Nikolai stepped inside her room.</p>
<p>            “How considerate of you, my dear general.”</p>
<p>            Zoya only shook her head with a small smile, and then she was walking outside the doors leading to a small balcony. Nikolai turned to follow, stopping beside her and leaning his elbows on the concrete parapet. The balcony had a perfect view of the gardens of the Grand Palace; the landscape itself was already a breather, and Nikolai was left wondering why she would choose to walk around instead of staying up here.</p>
<p>            A comfortable silence stretched between them. The gentle breeze sounded a little pleasant tonight, and Nikolai felt at ease.</p>
<p>            He could get used to this.</p>
<p>            He <em>could</em> already see moments like this in the near future.</p>
<p>            “I couldn’t sleep as well,” Zoya said after a little while, her voice lowering with every word. Nikolai gave her a look, and she quickly recovered and straightened up a bit. She averted her eyes from him. “I mean, it’s silly, I know. Getting nervous over tomorrow is something I shouldn’t feel.”</p>
<p>            Nikolai gave her a lopsided grin and reached for her hand, holding it tightly. “You do realize that I would not be here if I hadn’t been feeling the exact same thing, would I?” He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “It isn’t silly at all, my dear Zoya.”</p>
<p>            He felt her release a breath, her fingers slowly entwining with his. Nikolai felt his chest burst with warmth. There were already a handful of times in the past two months when he had witnessed a much less guarded Zoya Nazyalensky, and as much as he wanted and loved her for all she was and would be, he hoped that she wouldn’t hesitate to be vulnerable around him whenever she <em>needed</em> to be.</p>
<p>            And that was when Nikolai realized what was making her nervous—the possible moment of vulnerability in front of a crowd. He knew too well on how guarded she had been over the past years. He had <em>even </em>become jealous of a dragon when Zoya allowed herself to lower her guard for a little around the Saint, while he had to continue to crane his neck up to try and talk to her above the walls she built around herself whenever she was with <em>him</em>.</p>
<p>            Nikolai understood that now, and amidst of the heavy thoughts in his head, a sudden idea came up to his mind. He gave a laugh when he fully processed what his mind came up with.</p>
<p>            It earned a furrowed glance from his general, her eyes narrowing. “You’re suddenly laughing by yourself.”</p>
<p>            Being the person he was, Nikolai spoke what was in his mind out loud. “How about we get married right now?”</p>
<p>            Multiple expressions bloomed over Zoya’s face at once—but it was mostly bewilderment as she were thinking that he had become mad. She huffed a laugh. “With you and I in mere underclothes?”</p>
<p>            Nikolai laughed back. “Does it matter?”</p>
<p>            “And no witnesses?”</p>
<p>            “The saints in the skies could be our witnesses.” He paused and looked up in the night sky. “The moon and the stars could be as well.”</p>
<p>            Zoya could only shake her head, an amused smile curling on her lips. “Your nervousness over tomorrow has bested you, Lantsov.”</p>
<p>            Nikolai turned to her then, and looked at her in the eyes, his other hand coming to hold hers. “Let the skies and everything around us to be the witnesses, and it is just you and I at this moment, saying our vows,” he said and stepped closer to her. “I don’t think there is anything else for me to say that I have not told you yet, which I highly doubt being the chatterbox that I am.” He paused to laugh lightly. “But if there is still something I would still say, it would be that I love you, and do not be afraid to bare your heart to me whenever you need to. I will always be here until the end of my days.”</p>
<p>            Zoya released a shaky breath, one of her hands coming up to his face. She gave him a small smile. “I know,” she replied. She lowered her hand on his shoulder, but her gaze never wavered from him. “We’ve been through a lot together, you and I. I can’t think of anything that happened in the past few years that doesn’t have you in it. You were one of the few constants I have ever had in my life, and just like you have always told me, I wouldn’t have it any other way.</p>
<p>            “As much as I am a woman who only have a few words to say, I love you, too, and the nervousness that I was saying I shouldn’t feel was now replaced with reassurance that we could get through tomorrow and the next days. Because that’s what we’ve always done together. <em>Together.</em> And—Nikolai Lanstov, are you <em>crying</em>?”</p>
<p>            Nikolai blinked and turned his face away immediately just as he felt a tear fall from his cheek. He hadn’t even noticed that tears were already flooding his vision until she told him about it.</p>
<p>            “What? No, it’s just misty here tonight. Don’t you feel it?” he replied, quickly wiping a hand up to his face before turning back to her. But he knew pretending not to was futile, because he found his vision blurring again at the sight of her, the woman whom he had envisioned himself to spend the rest of his life with. “But yes, General Nazyalensky, I am moved by your words that I’ve started to shed tears.”</p>
<p>            Zoya huffed a laugh, but her eyes were glassy as well. “I wasn’t even done yet.”</p>
<p>            “Then please, do continue.”</p>
<p>            There was a short silence, then Nikolai felt the hand on his shoulder come back up to his face again. “You already know,” she said, then added in a soft whisper, “I love you, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”</p>
<p>            Nikolai was sure his chest could burst from happiness at any moment, and he just leaned down and kissed her, pouring all his love for her through it. Everything faded around them, and it only focused on the woman before him, whose hand had come to the back of his head to pull him closer to her, if it were still possible.</p>
<p>            The moment ended after a long while, leaving him breathless as he touched his forehead to hers, his thumb caressing her check gently. Whatever worry he had with him when he first came here was now gone, and replaced with contentment and eagerness for tomorrow that was about to come.</p>
<p>            “Thank you,” he heard Zoya say, and her other arm circled around his shoulders in a tight embrace.</p>
<p>            Nikolai pressed a long kiss to her forehead, his arm going around her waist and burying his nose in her hair. “Anything for you,” he replied.</p>
<p>            He didn’t know how much time had passed with them locked in each other’s arms, until he felt Zoya pull away a little.</p>
<p>            “Now we really have to take that sleep. It’s a big day ahead,” she said.</p>
<p>            “Eager to end the moment abruptly?”</p>
<p>            Zoya chuckled. “We have the rest of our lives to have them.”</p>
<p>           </p>
<p>Nikolai did have a good sleep later when he retreated back to his chambers.</p>
<p>            Because he already had something to look forward to.</p>
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